Welcome to The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 17, April 25, 2004:
an electronic publication of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
Copyright (c) 2004, The Numismatic Bibliomania Society.
SUBSCRIBER UPDATE
Among recent new subscribers is Scott Goodman, courtesy
of Steve Pellegrini. Welcome aboard! We now have 656
subscribers.
HANNAH AND HER BROTHERS
I'd like to thank everyone for their kind wishes on the birth
of our daughter, Hannah. I've heard from subscribers all
over the U.S., plus Great Britain, Israel and Italy.
Ferdinando Bassoli writes: "I supposed you were, as I am,
an old retired gentleman, busying himself, in free time, with
numismatic bibliomania. To my utmost pleasure I discover
now that you are a young happy father..."
Well, I feel like an old-timer sometimes. I've been involved
with numismatic literature for 25 years now, but I started
when I was 20. Dee and I married seven years ago and now
we're raising 3 children. Free time is hard to come by, so I
get on the computer when everyone else is asleep.
When Hannah was born I missed my regular 2nd Wednesday
meeting of the Sphinx Society, a marvelous local coin club
here in Pittsburgh that I've written about before. I had spoken
to fellow Sphinx member Don Carlucci earlier that day. He
said if I came to the meeting he'd buy me a drink -- and
promise to testify on my behalf at the divorce proceeding....
FANNING FIXED PRICE LIST #2 STILL ACTIVE
Our other new father, David Fanning of Fanning Books, still
has a few copies available of his second fixed price list of
numismatic literature. The list features 19th-century U.S.
material primarily dealing with American numismatics. For
a free copy, e-mail him at fanning32 at earthlink.net. The list
is also available as a PDF file.
David is the Editor-in-Chief of The Asylum, our quarterly
print journal. I've ordered two items myself, but those who
place orders quickly still have some great items to choose
from.
LAKE BOOKS SALE #74
Fred Lake writes: "Our 74th mail-bid sale of numismatic
literature is now available for viewing on the Lake Books
web site at 74th Bid Sale
The auction has a closing date of May 25, 2004 and contains
515 lots of fine reference material covering United States,
Ancient, and World coinage. In addition, there are books
that relate to Paper Money, Tokens, Medals, Numismatic
Literature and an interesting section of Miscellaneous subjects.
A highlight of the sale is a formal request from Louis Eliasberg,
Jr. to Bowers & Ruddy for a proposal to auction the Eliasberg
Gold Coin Collection. The submission contains detailed
information on each coin and is accompanied by photographs
of the coins in their original trays. The sale was eventually
held by B & R on October 27, 1982. A listing of Dr. John
Muscalus works on paper money is offered with designations
of each shown by their "K" numbers. These numbers were
devised by Frank Katen and Lake Books will send a copy
of the full listing to each person who submits a SASE to
them requesting this list. A hardbound copy of the 1876/77
"American Journal of Numismatics", Volume XI, is offered in
Mint condition."
Email, telephone, fax and regular mail bids are accepted by the
firm at Lake Books, 6822 22nd Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL
33710 - (727) 343-8055 FAX: (727) 345-3750."
HUNLEY CREW LAID TO REST
I published last week's issue a little early, and while checking
the news one last time before bed I saw a story I would have
liked to have included in the issue. Last Sunday, the Chicago
Tribune reported that the remains of the eight crew members
of the Confederate sub Hunley were laid to rest the day before
in Charleston, S.C.
The E-Sylum first reported on the Hunley in the May 27, 2001
issue (v4n22):
"Civil War history buffs have been following for some time the
story of the Hunley, the Confederate submarine which sank in
Charleston harbor on February 17, 1864 after first sinking the
Union ship Housatonic. The Hunley made history by becoming
the first submarine to sink a ship in battle."
"There is a numismatic connection: Lt. George Dixon, the sub's
commander, carried with him a special $20 gold piece.
"Early in the war, in Mobile, Ala., Queenie Bennett (Dixon?s
fiancée) gave him a $20 gold piece. While at Shiloh, a Union
bullet penetrated his trouser pocket and struck the coin. The
impact left the gold piece shaped like a bell, with the bullet
embedded in it. If it wasn't for that coin, he probably would
have died on the battlefield?and the Hunley might never have
made history. He would carry that coin the rest of his life..."
"The coin that senior archaeologist Maria Jacobsen pulled out
of the muck of the Hunley ... bears the cursive engraving:
"Shiloh / April 6, 1862 / My life Preserver / G.E.D."
Here are some excerpts from Sunday's article in the Chicago
Tribune:
"The Confederacy buried the last of its Civil War dead here
Saturday, laying to rest in Southern soil the long-lost crew of
the legendary submarine Hunley in a glittering pageant of rebel
remembrance."
"After so many decades in the dark of the deep, the men were
buried beneath a bright Southern sun in Charleston's Magnolia
Cemetery alongside the graves of 13 earlier Hunley crewmen
who drowned during trial missions and 1,700 other
Confederate dead.
Thousands of Civil War re-enactors in colorful Confederate
uniforms accompanied the dead, who were borne to the
cemetery on horse-drawn caissons, their coffins covered with
Confederate battle flags. The procession included 100 or more
women with Civil War-era dresses, veils, hats and parasols of
mourning black."
"According to estimates, nearly 50,000 visitors were in
Charleston for the day's events, some from as far as away as
England, France, Germany and Australia. An estimated 8,000
to 10,000 spectators lined the 4 1/2-mile funeral procession
route."
"The commander, Lt. George Dixon, believed to have been in
his mid-20s, had been a Mississippi River steamboat engineer
who was in Mobile, Ala., when the Civil War broke out and he
enlisted in the Confederate army. He was identified in part by a
$20 gold piece he carried--a piece that had prevented a Union
bullet from doing serious damage when he was shot and
wounded at the battle of Shiloh."
To read the complete story (registration required), see: Complete Story
GOETZ LUSITANIA MEDAL HELP SOUGHT
Greg Burns writes: "Once again I'm seeking the help of your
readers. I'm pulling together the final bits and pieces for my
book, ?The Lusitania Medal and its Varieties? and need to
fill in some gaps.
I've been told that Guido Goetz, son of the famous German
medalist, Karl Goetz (1875-1950), supposedly authorized a
Japanese firm to fabricate reproduction medals based upon his
father's models sometime in the 1970?s. I haven't found any
specific details regarding this arrangement, the name of the
Japanese firm, how the pieces were produced and sold, when
or at what price. I thought perhaps someone in your
knowledgeable reader base may be able to generously pass
along some helpful information. I'd appreciate any aid that can
be provided, and for significant material that I end up using will
gratefully acknowledge that fact in the book."
[See also More Information -Editor]
CARLOS JARA ECUADOR BOOK PUBLISHED
Alan Luedeking writes: "During the first ANUCA (Central
American Numismatic Association) Numismatic Congress
held in San José, Costa Rica in 2002, I received a request from
Mr. Carlos Iza Terán, the curator of the numismatic collections
of the Central Bank of Ecuador, to find proof that would
discredit the Ecuadorean 50 Francos gold coin of 1862 as a
modern fake. This coin was stolen from the collection of the
Central Bank of Ecuador in 1994 and remains missing to this
day. Mr. Iza based his suspicions about this coin on the
apparent contradiction of a gold coin in the Francos
denomination being struck concurrently with silver issues in
the Reales denominations. I said I would be pleased to help
if I could, and immediately turned to my friend Carlos Jara.
At that time, all he could say about the coin was that its first
auction appearance was in the Schulman/Kreisberg Golden
Sale of the Century auction in 1962, and that it was either
unique or extremely rare.
I then searched for a more specialized expert opinion before
making any final judgment on the matter. Fortunately, the two
greatest authorities on the numismatics of Ecuador, Michael
Anderson and Dale Seppa, enthusiastically acceded. Dale and
Michael are the experts on Ecuadorean coinage, and a result
of their years of research on that topic is the definitive reference
work "A Numismatic History of Ecuador", authored by
Anderson and published in 2001. Their curiosity was aroused
by my request, since they had worked on the 1862
Ecuadorean coinage issue for a long time, without conclusively
solving its mysteries themselves.
During Michael and Dale's investigations, the profoundly
knowledgeable numismatist Alfred Buonaguro had assisted
them. As a result of all this past work, Carlos and I were
instantly provided with practically all the extant numismatic
knowledge concerning the coinage of 1862. Although their
collective opinion was that the 50 Francos was a genuine coin,
the previously cited authorities also agreed that the current
knowledge of the 1862 coinage was then insufficient to fully
explain the mystery of an apparently simultaneous issue of coins
from two different monetary standards; many questions were
still left unanswered, and some obscure points in the documents
and decrees relating to the coins still remained.
Through the internet, a fine numismatic team was formed and
the effort to find the proof that would discredit the Ecuadorean
50 Francos gold coin of 1862 as a modern fake continued.
In the process, enormous amounts of historical documentation
(mostly supplied by Dale Seppa) was read and carefully
analyzed by Carlos Jara. Although the conclusions reached from
the research eventually ended with the refutation of our friend
Iza Terán's suspicions concerning the 1862 50 Francos, all of
the other mysteries surrounding the coinage of this period were
also cleared up.
I am now very pleased to announce the result of this collaborative
effort. It is Carlos Jara's fourth great numismatic book, his first
outside the realm of Chilean numismatics, entitled "The Strange
Concurrence of Coinage in Francos and Reales in Ecuador from
1858 to 1862 and the Fabled Fifty Francos of 1862." In Carlos'
prologue to the book he writes "this research has been one of my
most gratifying numismatic ventures. I feel privileged to have
provided, in a joint effort with the authorities on Ecuadorean
numismatics, what they consider a worthy contribution, and, most
of all, to call them my new friends. I respectfully dedicate this
work to them, and again thank them for their generous and highly
skilled assistance."
As usual, anybody interested in obtaining a copy of this book
(a limited edition, profusely illustrated hardcover) is invited to
contact the author directly at clejara at yahoo.com.
JEWISH PAPER MONEY IN RUSSIA
Victor S. Holden writes: "The following may be of interest to
some subscribers who may not be aware of its existence.
Keep up the good work."
Jewish Paper Money in Russia
by Dmitri Kharitonov
Catalogue of paper money issued by Jewish communities in
Russia as a means of payment in the period 1917-1920.
· Detailed description of about 300 notes
· More than 200 original colour photos
· Many notes are published for the first time
· Indication of variety, rarity and market valuation in Euro
for two grades
· Bilingual English and Russian edition
· The first and only reference of its kind
· Promises to be the standard reference for years to come
· 136 pages, 15 x 21 cm (A5) , laminated soft cover
· Price: 29.00 Euro
· Postage within Europe ? 6.00 Euro, outside Europe ?
9.00 Euro
PARTNER PRAHA s.r.o. ISBN 80-239-0258-X
Gen. Janouska 900
19800 Praha 9 E-mail: partnerpraha at volny.cz
Czech Republic Tel/Fax +420-281913668
NEW BOOK ON IRISH SMALL SILVER
Paul Withers writes: "I have great pleasure in announcing the
publication, on the birthday of the Bard of Avon, the latest
monograph in our Small Change series.
Irish Small Silver - John - Edward VI. Identifying Irish
Farthings and Halfpennies, 1172 - 1553. It also includes
the three-farthings coin of Edward VI, which was struck
with the name and portrait of Henry VIII. Details follow :
56 pages. A5 2004. Price, including postage 13 GBP or
USA $27. Available from the authors Paul and Bente Withers.
Galata Print Ltd., Market Street, LLANFYLLIN, Powys
SY22 5BX. UK. US cheques to be made payable to
'Paul Withers'.
This is an easy to use guide, with lots of enlarged photographs
and line drawings, and every type is also illustrated natural size
as well, so as to show what the real thing looks like in all its
tiny glory. All legends, so far as they are known, are shown
in full. All the known mints, Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, Cork,
Killkenny, Downpatrick, and Carrickfergus, are represented,
and whilst there are no major new varieties for the coins of
John as Prince, most of the known specimens of which come
from two already published hoards, we have managed to find
several new legends and small varieties which were not known,
or noted by O'Sullivan. The main importance of the book is
for the coins of John as king, and Edward I, where there are
some major varieties - new types, or denominations for the mint,
and legend varieties listed for the first time, as well as this being
the first real study of the small coins of Edward I for Ireland !
No keyhole stuff here though, as we show these tiny coins
twice as large as life !
There is an historical introduction, largely on the earliest of the
people involved, because unless one is irish, one tends not to
know very much about what, why and when the events
happened - and they are different from english history, even
though some of the characters involved appear in both countries.
Indeed, it does even throw some light upon the conquest of
England by the normans, who show up, by and large, as a
load of really nasty folk, intent upon the good life for themselves,
whilst they pillaged and practised ethnic cleansing on others, but
just to show that they were even-handed, they did kill each other
too. The indigenous inhabitants of the Emerald Isle were not that
pleasant either; but we get some of them in, including the dreadful
Dermot MacMurrough who started the whole thing off by inviting
the normans to his country, so that he could reclaim his kingdom.
Mother Church also comes into the picture, appearing as a
greedy, growing pan-european monarchy, with many of its the top
posts sinecure rewards for faithful civil servants. What did the
Church get from it? Honest holiness, piety, charity? Nah, in
yer dreams man; this was the middle ages! They wanted to get
Peter's pence! Are we biased? No, not really. What we
present is a personally-selected series of chronological events,
chosen to encourage the reader to read more widely for himself.
If it seems to be sensationalist and limited, so what ? Pursue the
truth, whatever that might be, yourself. This book is intended to
encourage you not only to collect old bits of worn, clipped metal
(irish coins are a bit like that), but to read. Do I need to preach
the joys and virtues of reading here? Probably not, but even the
most ardent of numismatic bibliophiles need prodding from time
to time, to make them realise that there are other viewpoints and
books about different subjects worth reading in the pursuit of
information about your coins - that¹s where all the fun lies
Please note our new e-mail address: Paul at galata.co.uk
Visit our website: galata.co.uk"
1917 VICTORIA CROSS MEDAL SEIZED BEFORE AUCTION
On April 6, The Toronto Star reported that the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police seized a rare medal believed to have been
stolen from a museum in 1973. The medal had been awarded
to Cpl. Filip Konowal, a Ukrainian immigrant to Canada.
"RCMP officers have seized a rare Canadian-won Victoria
Cross from a London auction house that was preparing it for
sale."
"Konowal, then 30, was one of 10,000 Ukrainian-born
immigrants who enlisted in the Canadian forces to fight in World
War I. War records show that in August, 1917, at Hill 70 in
France, he single-handedly took out three gun positions and
killed 16 German soldiers.
Konowal's medal was pinned on him by King George V, as
he lay in an English army hospital "after half his face was shot
away by a German sniper" the day after his heroic exploit,
Luciuk said.
Luciuk said the war hero left the medal to his widow "who fell
on hard times and sold it to a collector," who in turn sold it to
the war museum for $3,750."
[For the full story, see: Full Story
For biographical information on Konowal, see: Biographical Info
The medal has been in the news before. This article from
1999 states that the medal had been lost for years and
was replaced with a replica. Replica Article ]
KONOWAL'S FORTY-DOLLAR FORTUNE
My web search for Konowal information also uncovered
this August 2000 article with a heartbreaking numismatic
connection:
"Three generations of Konowals had secreted a keepsake
of Filip's. Out it came. Two American $20 bills, of 1913
vintage. Both had been carefully folded over and over.
Konowal had mailed them to his young wife and child just
before the First World War and the 1917 Bolshevik coup
severed him from them, forever.
Worthless today as currency, these bills represented a small
fortune in the early decades of the last century. They could
have more than paid for enough food to keep Anna and many
of her fellow villagers alive through the 1932-1933 famine.
But to possess foreign currency was a crime among the Soviets.
They would have demanded that Anna explain why she had it.
They would probably have accused her of being an agent of
Western imperialism, a spy, an anti-Soviet Ukrainian nationalist.
The entire family might have been liquidated. And, of course,
the Communists weren't interested in Ukrainian lives being
delivered. Stalin and his minions deliberately orchestrated a
genocidal famine to crush Ukrainian resistance to Soviet rule.
Millions perished, among them Anna.
When Filip Konowal emigrated in 1913, he joined others who
came to Canada to earn enough for a better future for their
loved ones in the old country. He must have worked very
hard to save $40 and get it home before war broke out in
1914. His separation from his family was meant to be temporary.
Anna concealed the money that should have saved her and died
slowly of hunger. Maria survived but also kept hidden her
father's gift. She died in 1986."
[The article states incorrectly that the bills are worthless.
They have never be repudiated, and are still legal tender
at face value. -Editor]
BENJAMIN TRUE, CINCINNATI ENGRAVER?
The following question was forwarded to us via Andy Lustig
and Saul Teichman. Can any of our readers help?
Rick D. Whisman, MA writes: "I'm attempting to locate
biographical information on an engraver named Benjamin C.
True located (living) in Cincinnati, Ohio during the 1850s.
Any information you could provide about this gentleman would
be greatly appreciated. I would like to thank you in advance
for your time regarding this request."
SPECULATION IN IRAQI DINARS
A page one article in the April 23, 2004 Wall Street Journal
describes a thriving secondary market for the new Iraqi
currency.
"Plenty of amateur investors -- policemen, construction workers,
a dentist, even a college student -- are taking the dinar plunge.
As tension rises in Iraq, these people are making a bet most
professional currency traders wouldn't touch -- that the dinar
will appreciate."
"For Mr. Rodinec and hundreds of others, Mr. Burbank is the
dinar man. A 48-year-old former Navy SEAL with a middle
linebacker's physique, Mr. Burbank says he has sold more than
$500,000 in dinar since he started his business in October. The
recent violence in Iraq caused the currency's value to fall
modestly but hasn't hurt sales, he adds.
"I never thought of myself as a currency trader," says Mr.
Burbank, who still works three days a week as a fireman in
San Diego. "But I called the smartest people I know -- a
corporate lawyer, a Wall Street guy -- and they said it sounds
pretty viable."
Today, he sells dinar on his Web site, Daystartrading.com.
Prices are negotiable, depending on the size of the order and
whether payment is in cash or check. But Mr. Burbank generally
hands over about 500 dinar in exchange for one dollar. He gets
his dinars from three Middle Eastern suppliers."
"Mr. Burbank's interest began last year when he bought 1.25
million dinar for $3,000 on eBay. He struck up a relationship
with the Jordanian who auctioned the new currency and began
buying directly from him.
Several competitors have sprung up in recent weeks, outfits
with names such as dinarsforless.com and IraqDinarInvestment.com.
Some post photos of the new currency. The red-tinged 25,000
dinar note features a Kurdish farmer on the front and a drawing
of Hammurabi, ruler of Babylon from around 1792 to 1750 B.C.,
on the back.
PHILIPPINE BANK REFERENCE
Howard A. Daniel III writes: "I have previously written about
the excellent books that show up in The Book Bin - Pacifica
catalogs and have found another one. Book 410 in their
catalog number 21 is "Census of the Philippine Islands: Taken
Under the Direction of the Philippine Legislature in the Year
1918", Vol IV, Part 2, Bureau of the Census, Bureau of
Printing, Manila, 1921, 762pp, b/w photos, Softbound, 8vo.,
Ex-lib., cover worn, Good+ and priced at $75.00.
I believe this will be a good reference for the serious
researcher of Philippine numismatics because one of the areas
this volume covers is "Banks & Insurance". The email address
for The Book Bin - Pacifica is seasia at bookbin.com and they
are located in Oregon. They take Visa and Mastercard to pay
so the buyer will not need to send a check."
LIBRARIES WIRED & REBORN
On April 22, 2004, The New York Times published an
extensive and interesting article on the effects of the Internet
on libraries, and the results may be surprising to many.
The article, "Libraries Wired, and Reborn" describes how
many libraries have become very active community centers
as a result of the draw of Internet access, and the new funding
provided by governments and private foundations to support
computers and communications nationwide.
"The transition has come quickly. In 1996, 28 percent of all
libraries had PC's for public access to the Internet. Now, 95
percent of libraries offer Internet access. The Gates foundation
accelerated the trend. There are now more than 120,000
Internet-connected PC's for public use in municipal libraries
nationwide. Since 1998, the foundation has installed or paid
for more than 47,000 PC's. "
"And Internet-connected computers are clearly bringing more
people into libraries. A year after computers are put in libraries
that do not have them, visits rise 30 percent on the average and
attendance typically remains higher, according to a study led by
Andrew C. Gordon, a professor of public policy at the University
of Washington. Over the last six years, visits to the nation's
16,400 public libraries have increased more than 17 percent, a
trend that can be partly attributed to the spread of computers
with Internet access."
"The computers are put to all manner of uses. E-mail, Mrs.
LeBoeuf said, is perhaps most common, from messages to
friends elsewhere in Louisiana to those to relatives in the
military stationed in Iraq. One local woman who was adopted
found her biological parents by searching on the Internet,
Mrs. LeBoeuf said. But most of the uses are more workaday
inquiries, like looking up prices on the Web before haggling
with merchants."
"Mrs. LeBoeuf walked through the bustling new library as
mothers with toddlers gathered for story time, the staff
stocked shelves with books, and people of all ages sat at
clusters of flat-panel PC's. Computers and the Internet are
changing libraries irrevocably, she said.
"Books are never going away, but the future of libraries is
much more as community centers," Mrs. LeBoeuf observed.
"I worked here for 22 years and never thought we'd have
something like this."
Library Article
WHY IT'S CALLED AN EAGLE
Max Spiegel writes: "I would like to respond to the question
sent to Lou Jordan, asking "why the word 'eagle' was selected
to define specific gold denominations mentioned in Section 9
of the Act of April 2, 1792."
The American bald eagle had been used on colonial coinage
for many before the passing of the Coinage Act of 1792. It
became a sort of national symbol and was a key element of
the Great Seal of the United States, which was adopted in
1782. Five years later, the bald eagle was officially made
the emblem of the United States. In 1790, Congress called
upon Alexander Hamilton to craft a proposal for the nation's
first coinage which he submitted on June 20, 1790. In his
letter to Congress, he stated that the $10 coin be called the
eagle and depict one. Although it seems to be an obvious
choice, being the national emblem, Hamilton stated that he
only chose the eagle because "nothing else occurred" to him.
When Congress drafted the Coinage Act of 1792, which
was passed on April 2 of that year, they used Hamilton's
proposal as a guideline and thus decided to call our largest
denomination the "eagle." They subsequently named all
other gold coinage (excluding the $1 and $3, which were
minted later) based on the "eagle." I hope this answers
your question."
Chris Fuccione also had the answer, found in Don Taxay's
"U.S. Mint and Coinage." He writes: "He (Alexander
Hamilton) suggested that the dollar be known also as the
"unit" and its tenth part as simply a "tenth." The largest
gold piece might be called an "eagle." The appellation, he
admitted, was not very expressive, but he could think of
nothing better........."
David Klinger reports a slightly different version of events,
but it may well be that Hamilton was the originator here,
too. He writes: "In the "Dictionary of Coin Names", by
Adrian Room, and published in London (1987), the entry
for Eagle reads (in part):
"Eagle - The name was proposed in 1785 by President-to-be
Jefferson for the 10-dollar coin introduced in the United States
in 1795. At first, the representation of the eagle on the
reverse was informal, but from 1797 a heraldic type appeared."
NUMISMATICS AND RIOTS
We've had some more responses to our quiz question about
numismatics and riots. John Burns had written: "Off the top of
my head I seem to recall a medal struck for the Haymarket
riot in 1893. Also, I recall that it was a relic medal in having
a piece of shrapnel from a bomb embedded in it."
In response, Tom DeLorey writes: "These do exist. The last
time we had one in stock (many years ago), I tested the
embedment with a magnet. It was magnetic, for what that is
worth."
Larry Dziubek writes: "In connection with previous
discussion: Here is a relic-medal that ties into history,
economics, and numismatics. I just discovered a book titled
1877- Year of Violence by Robert V. Bruce, 1970 that may
show the reasons for the riots. This was a period of serious
economic depression nationwide.
At a location within walking distance of the upcoming 2004
American Numismatic Association convention in August is
the site of the most serious destruction. The Pennsylvania.
National Guard was finally called in from Philadelphia after
many trains were looted and burned at the P.R.R. yards.
Many were killed under martial law, and in earlier turmoil.
I purchased the relic medal on eBay a couple years ago.
It is a brass planchet about the size of a half dollar. The
following lettering is punched thereon:
FROM BURNT BELL OF / ENG. / 415 / P. R. R. //
RIOT AT PITTSBURG / 104 / ENGINES / DEST.D / 7.22.77
I don't know how many were made, and in fact this is the
only reference to the event that I have seen other than in
newsprint."
HITLER DIARIES SOLD
Not all fakes are worthless, as most numismatists are aware.
The same thing holds in literature. While not numismatic, our
readers may be interested to learn of the recent sale of a
20-year-old fake diary:
"A volume of the forged diaries of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler
which fooled the world in 1983 fetched $7,700 in a Berlin
auction on Friday.
Forger, painter and military antiques dealer Konrad Kujau,
who died in 2000, copied Hitler's handwriting and sold 60
volumes of the diary to Stern magazine for about $5 million.
The manuscript is the last in the series, with the final entry
dated April 30, 1945, the day Hitler committed suicide with
Eva Braun in his bunker as the Third Reich collapsed."
"Included with the auctioned volume is a hand-written
document -- also forged -- certifying the authenticity of the
writings, "signed" by Hitler and several other top Nazis."
To read the full story, see the Reuters new site: Full Article
AUDUBONS DISPLAYED
Another non-numismatic note of interest to general bibliophiles
was submitted by the editor of our print journal, The Asylum,
E. Tomlinson Fort, who writes: "I thought this might make an
interesting filler for The E-Sylum. By the way, Hillman Library,
at the University of Pittsburgh, also has a first edition elephant
follio Audubon. They have a special display case where they
show a different plat."
"A LIBRARIAN turns the pages with infinite care, her gloved
hands moving with the respect reserved for a treasure valued
at £7 million.
For a century, the book and three companion volumes that
comprise Audubon?s Birds of America have been in a vault,
too valuable to be exhibited in public.
But soon, 102 years after they were gifted to Glasgow's
Mitchell Library, they will go on display to attract Glaswegians
and international visitors alike.
Curators plan to make Audubon's Birds... the centrepiece of
a new visitor attraction.
"It's one of the world's best kept secrets, but it will at last be
available to all," said Pamela Tulloch, the information services
manager at the library.
Glasgow's "double elephant folio" - the books measure 39in by
27in - is one of the few remaining complete sets created from
paintings by the 19th century artist-adventurer John James
Audubon."
For the full article, see: Full Article
CELTIC COIN INDEX
Larry Mitchell sent the following link to the Celtic Coin Index:
For the web page:
"All the British Celtic Coin Index Records from 1961 to 2001
are now online! This means you now have access to over
28,000 records and images of British Celtic coins, a remarkable
resource for study!"
It is easy to see the enormous growth in information about
Celtic coin finds in Britain when you realize that, only ten years
ago, there were only 12,000 records in the Celtic Coin Index
at Oxford (Derek Harrison, 1992, p. xv), which represents the
records of thirty years. In the following ten years, 20,000 new
records were added, so that currently there are more than
32,000 records in the Index.
Celtic Coin Index
CORNERSTONE COINS
On the subject of the coins placed in the cornerstone of
the San Francisco Mint building, Tom DeLorey writes:
"Strictly as a matter of personal opinion, I think that the
existence of the officially unreported 1870-S silver dollars,
half dime and $3 gold piece make it almost a certainty that
an 1870-S quarter was struck. Why go to the bother of
creating three otherwise non-existent denominations and
not create the fourth as well? These were methodical
people who very carefully left a paper trail, and bureaucrats
to boot. Nothing could have stopped them."
MORE ON SULPHUR SPOTS
R.S. Neale writes: "While very true that carbon spots aren't
carbon, I think that the writer of this commentary, admittedly
not a chemist, should consult one to get his terminology
straightened out. For example, when copper reacts with sulfur
in some form or other, it becomes copper sulfide (not copper
sulfate), and the process does indeed involve oxidation
(wherein an element loses electrons to become a positively
charged ion)."
Joe Boling writes: "I believe most coin graders and conservators
agree that "carbon spots" are usually the result of droplets of
saliva (and an occasional dandruff flake) that have landed on
coins while they were being handled and talked over. As such,
I'm not sure that sulfur has any connection with them, though I
don't know what the principal culprit would be. What's in
saliva?"
[What's in saliva probably depends on what the person was
eating... -Editor]
SMITHSONIAN COLLECTION WORLD'S LARGEST?
Regarding the excerpts published last week about the coming
closure of the Smithsonian's Numismatics Hall at the Museum
of American History in Washington, D.C, Jørgen Sømod
writes: "The world's largest collection of money and medals?
These gentlemen have never been in Europe, I understand."
U.S. MONEY PRINTING AUTOMATION DETAILED
Alan Luedeking alerted us to the following article in
"Automation World" magazine about automated visual
inspection systems at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and
Printing. It was published in the March 2004 issue (p46).
The article is lengthy and I recommend reading the full
version, which include images of some of the equipment
discussed.. Here are some excerpts.
"Like all printers, the BEP must verify that its printed materials
are clear and accurate.
However, the BEP also needs to ensure that various security
measures are in place to help deter counterfeiting and to allow
the government to account for all bank notes. To help meet
these demanding requirements, the BEP converted several of
its inspection stations from human operators spot checking
currency to automated visual inspection of each note."
"In order to reduce or eliminate inconsistencies associated
with physical note size and the location of engraved images
on the chrome intaglio printing plates on which the currency is
printed, the BEP?s Production Engineering group developed
a Plate Measurement Device (PMD). The PMD uses state-
of-the-art positioning technology and machine vision to
automatically measure the layout pattern of the security
features on these plates. The engraved artwork and
registration marks are gauged before production to verify plate
accuracy?which is essential for precise print registration ?
and afterwards, so that any distortion caused by prolonged
intaglio printing is identified."
"... the Production Engineering group developed a vision-based
note measurement system that automatically measures and
records 27 note registration features (137 data points) on each
cut bill. These include substrate size, intaglio print size and
position (on both sides) and positions of the seals and serial
numbers. Measuring banknotes in reflected light is quite
challenging, as the intaglio printing process is somewhat variable
by nature, and finding print edges consistently on the fine
engraved artwork is very difficult."
"The Production Engineering team is currently making
improvements to the existing systems to gain even greater
reductions in print variability and to inspect even more
sophisticated security features. The group continually makes
improvements to its processes for quality assurance and
security purposes, and machine vision plays an important role
in this regard. The data received from these inspection systems
also will be instrumental in implementing future security or
design changes."
To read the full article, see: Full Article
A REALLY OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOK
On April 21, 2004, Reuters reported that "A former British
Royal Air Force employee has returned a history book to
the Malta public library 42 years after he borrowed it and
was given a cup of coffee instead of a fine.
Ernie Roscouet, a resident of the Channel Islands,
inadvertently packed the book when he left Malta in June
1962 and returned it when his wife gave him a holiday to
Malta as his 65th birthday present.
"It's actually been on my conscience all this time," he told
the Times of Malta newspaper." Full Article
FEATURED WEB PAGE
This week's featured web page is an enlarged image of
Lt. George Dixon's "lucky" gold coin, recovered from the
wreck of The Hunley. Incidentally, replicas of the coin
are available for $10 on the Friends of the Hunley web
site (Hunley.org).
Coin Image
Wayne Homren
Numismatic Bibliomania Society

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